sport news MARTIN SAMUEL: Noble's West Ham goodbye was so poignant as he is part of dying ... trends now
You didn’t have to be a supporter of West Ham or an admirer of their captain, Mark Noble, to find his send-off poignant on Sunday.
The outpouring of emotion, the pomp of the occasion, it said something about the modern game. Noble never won a thing, bar promotion, playing for West Ham. He was the club’s Player of the Year just twice in 18 campaigns. No England caps, one inclusion in the PFA’s team of the season, and that was in the Championship a decade ago. Yet he was loved, revered, idolised. Why? Because he’s a throwback.
The tributes all spoke of him coming from Canning Town, a walk from the old stadium, Upton Park. He grew up wanting to play for West Ham, and West Ham alone. They don’t make them like that any more. ‘He’s one of our own,’ is a 21st century football song.
You didn't have to be a West Ham fan or an admirer of Mark Noble to find his send-off poignant
You wouldn’t have heard it 30 years ago because, back then, every club had their Noble, and probably more than one.
When West Ham lifted the European Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1965, 10 of the starting XI came through the club’s youth system, nine came from London and five from the East End. Bobby Moore said it felt like winning a European trophy with the school football team.
That will never happen again. And while there will always be one-club players, they may largely represent the elite.
Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville were happy at a very successful Manchester United, the same way there is little incentive for Phil Foden to leave Manchester City, or Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool.
Yet nobody is expecting Declan Rice to see out his time with West Ham as Noble did. Even Harry Kane wouldn’t still be one of Tottenham’s own if the decision was his. It could be argued that Noble wasn’t quite good enough to attract the offers that will come Rice’s way. He wasn’t given the chance to play Champions League football or win the title.
Noble grew up wanting to play for his local club and his head was never turned in 18 campaigns
His successor Declan Rice will not be expected to see out his time with the club as he did
Yet there was interest from Arsenal during Arsene Wenger’s time, there were links with Newcastle, plus QPR, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke when they were Premier League clubs.
He could have made a bit more money, pocketed a signing-on fee somewhere. He chose to stay. Few stay these days.
And fewer come from Canning Town. Noble’s origins blared out at the London Stadium on Sunday as if he’d been unearthed in Timbuktu.
Yet Canning Town used to be the hunting ground. My father’s stall is in Canning Town. Players’ mums were his customers. Mrs Brush, Mrs Curbishley — the team and their families came from the local community.
That is what Noble represented. That is why Sunday’s celebration was shot through with slight melancholy. We love our modern league and what it represents. But time was, ‘he’s one of our own’ wasn’t a boast; it was a fact so mundane nobody even bothered to mention it.
Noble could have pocketed more money by moving elsewhere but unlike most he chose to stay
Leeds are the Damned United!
Leeds’ peril in the face of relegation is being made worse by release clauses in the contracts of many leading players. Leeds sensibly made provision for compulsory pay-cuts if they went down, but the trade was that players would be allowed to leave, for a price.
There could be bargains, if stars such as Raphinha (right) or Kalvin Phillips get to move for about £30million. Yet what was the alternative? If Leeds had presumed a Premier League future, as it appears Everton have, there would be complaints they were poorly run and faced ruin. They’ve been through that before, so wisely insured against it. Now they are charged with losing important players.
Clubs can’t win. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. The Damned United indeed.
Leeds will have to sell star players on the cheap if they go down after including relegation release clauses in their deals, but they're damned if they do and damned if they don't
Tsimikas glory shows why fringe players are happy to hang around
Kostas Tsimikas has featured in little more than a third of Liverpool’s games this season.
Eight starts in the league, three in the FA Cup, three in the Carabao Cup, four in Europe, and seven further appearances across all competitions as a substitute. One of those came at Wembley on Saturday, and showed why fringe players hang around successful clubs.
Anything can happen. Tsimikas ended up scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup final shootout, just as Divock Origi scored in a Champions League final, having already put two past Barcelona in the incredible semi-final comeback.
We all wonder why fringe players aren’t driven to play more, why they don’t demand transfers to clubs who will make them certain starters.
Yet stick around Liverpool, do your job, don’t complain and there is a chance of a coat-tail ride to glory. On the day, it is a squad game and your chance may come.
Kostas Tsimikas' glory in the FA Cup final showed why fringe players are keen to hang around
Tsimikas could have been a starter elsewhere but reaped the rewards of being a backup star
By Sunday morning, Tsimikas holding the FA Cup and winking for the camera was the defining image of Liverpool’s triumph, his nine-minute involvement and what followed, arguably the greatest moment of his professional career. So, yes, he could have stayed at Olympiacos and played many more games, he could have gone to Leicester or Sheffield United and been one of the stars — but does he get to score that goal in an FA Cup final; or the Champions League final if fortune dictates?
That is why players think long and hard before making the step down.
Khan's bid for London Olympics so shameless
The problem with modern politicians is that they are permanently on the campaign trail. No sooner are they elected than the re-election bid begins. Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, is a prime example. So, despite London hosting a successful Olympics in 2012, less than 10 years later he claims to be in discussions with the IOC about hosting them again.
How horribly presumptuous. There are 206 National Olympic Committees recognised by the IOC comprising many thousands of cities and regions. Yet London thinks it should get another go little more than 20 years from the last? Why always us? And why always the same location?
London has held three Olympics already, more than any other city. It will be joined by Paris, when
